Niecy Nash

Niecy Nash
Nash in June 2010.
Born	Carol Denise Ensley (1970-02-23) February 23, 1970 Los Angeles, California, U.S.[1]
Nationality	American
Alma mater	California State University, Dominguez Hills
Occupation	Actress, comedian, model, producer
Years active	1995–present
Home town	Palmdale, California
Spouse(s)	Don Nash (m. 1994; div. 2007) Jay Tucker (m. 2011)
Children	3
Website	www.niecynash.com

Carol Denise "Niecy" Nash (née Carol Denise Ensley;^[2] born February 23, 1970) is an American comedian, model, actress, and producer, best known for her performances on television.

Nash hosted the Style Network show Clean House from 2003 to 2010, for which she won an Emmy Award in 2010. As an actress, she played the role of Deputy Raineesha Williams in the Comedy Central comedy series Reno 911! (2003–2009). Nash received critical acclaim and two Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series and a Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series nominations for her performance as nurse Denise "DiDi" Ortley in the HBO comedy Getting On (2013–2015). She also starred as Lolli Ballantine on the TV Land sitcom The Soul Man (2012–2016), and is playing Denise Hemphill in the Fox horror-comedy anthology series, Scream Queens (2015–present).^[3]

Nash has also played a number of roles in films and has made many guest appearances on television shows. In 2014, Nash played the role of civil rights activist Richie Jean Jackson in the historical drama film Selma directed by Ava DuVernay.

Early life

Nash was born in Compton, California. In addition to her acting endeavors, she is the spokesperson of M.A.V.I.S. (Mothers Against Violence In Schools). M.A.V.I.S. was founded by her mother, after the 1993 shooting death of Nash's younger brother, Michael. M.A.V.I.S.'s mission is to inform the public of the violence children encounter on school campuses. Nash is a graduate of California State University, Dominguez Hills.^[1]

Career

Nash at 2008 Emmys

Early works

Nash made her professional acting debut in the 1995 film Boys on the Side.^[1] On television, she later guest-starred in NYPD Blue, Judging Amy, Reba, Girlfriends, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and ER. She also appeared in 1999 film Cookie's Fortune, and had a recurring role of CBS drama series, City of Angels, in 2000.

From 2003 to 2009, Nash played the role of Deputy Raineesha Williams and T.T. on the Comedy Central comedy series Reno 911!. In addition, Nash hosted Clean House on the Style Network from 2003 to 2010, as well as providing the voice of Mrs. Boots on the ABC Family animated series Slacker Cats, and starred as Rhonda, opposite Jerry O'Connell, in the short-lived Fox sitcom Do Not Disturb in 2008. She also has guest starred on The Bernie Mac Show as Bernie's sister Bonita from 2003 to 2005. Nash won a Daytime Emmy in 2010 as the producer/host of "Clean House: The Messiest Home in the Country" in the category of Outstanding Special Class Special.^[4] On August 4, 2010 Nash announced she was leaving Clean House on the Style Network but the show will continue without her.^[5]

Nash for 2008 commercial of Clorox Toilet Products

Nash appeared on the tenth season of ABC's Dancing with the Stars beginning in March 2010, where she was partnered with Louis van Amstel. On May 11, 2010, Nash and van Amstel were eliminated from the competition, taking fifth place.^[6] In 2011 she got her own reality show Leave It To Niecy on TLC about her life with her new husband and step-son but it was quickly cancelled. In that same year she was in a TLC wedding special.^[7][8][9] She also appeared in films Code Name: The Cleaner (2007), Reno 911!: Miami (2007), Not Easily Broken (2009), G-Force (2009), and Trust Me (2013).

2012-present

In 2012, Nash began starring opposite Cedric the Entertainer in the TV Land sitcom The Soul Man, a spinoff from Hot in Cleveland.^[10] In 2013, she also began starring opposite Laurie Metcalf in the critically acclaimed HBO comedy series Getting On.^[11] She received a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series nomination for her role on show in 2015 and 2016,^[12] and well as Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 2016.^[13]

In 2014, Nash played Richie Jean Jackson, the wife of Dr. Sullivan Jackson, in the historical drama film Selma, directed by Ava DuVernay.^[14] Selma received acclaim from critics; on Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a rating of 99%, based on 205 reviews, with an average rating of 8.7/10.^[15] Selma was listed on many critics' top ten lists.^[16] Also that year, she joined the cast of Fox comedy series, The Mindy Project in a recurring role as Dr. Jean Fishman, a rival of title character.^[17]

In 2015, Nash was cast in the Fox horror-comedy anthology series, Scream Queens,^[3] as security guard, and then FBI Agent, Denise Hemphill. She appeared in another Fox comedy, Brooklyn Nine-Nine as Andre Braugher's sister.^[18] The following year, she was cast in the leading role in the Fox comedy pilot The Enforcers.^[19][20] The pilot was not ordered to series. She later was cast as lead in the TNT crime comedy-drama pilot Claws produced by Rashida Jones about South Florida nail salons.^[21][22] She also was cast in a recurring role as Louise Bell in the Showtime period drama Masters of Sex.^[23]

Personal life

Nash was married for 13 years to Don Nash, an ordained minister, before filing for divorce in June 2007. They have three children; Dominic, Donielle, and Dia. ^[24] Niecy Nash became engaged to Jay Tucker on September 7, 2010.^[25] Nash participated in a TLC reality show that followed the preparations for the wedding.^[26] Nash and Tucker were married on Saturday May 28, 2011 at the Church Estate Vineyard in Malibu.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Niecy Nash.

• Official website
• Niecy Nash at the Internet Movie Database
• Niecy Nash on Twitter